Michael Osterholm, PhD MPH

New York Times Bestselling Author, Regents Professor & Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota

Michael Osterholm, PhD MPH

New York Times Bestselling Author, Regents Professor & Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota

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Biography

Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, is Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota.

In early 2025, Dr. Osterholm and colleagues founded the Vaccine Integrity Project, a key initiative dedicated to safeguarding vaccine use in the US. He is also author of the new book, The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics.

In November 2020, Dr. Osterholm was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 transition advisory board. From June 2018 through May 2019, he served as a Science Envoy for Health Security on behalf of the US Department of State. He is also on the Luther College Board of Regents.

He is the author of two additional, New York Times best-selling, books, In 2000, he authored Living Terrors: What American Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe, laying why the biological attacks (like the 2001 anthrax attack) are a new reality and what we must do to prepare, and his 2017 book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, details the most pressing infectious disease threats of our day (including coronaviruses and pandemics) but lays out a strategy to address them.

In addition, Dr. Osterholm is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Council of Foreign Relations. In June 2005 Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to the newly established National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity. In July 2008, he was named to the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center’s Academy of Excellence in Health Research. In October 2008, he was appointed to the World Economic Forum Working Group on Pandemics.

In addition to his role at CIDRAP, Dr. Osterholm has also served as an HHS special advisor and a representative on the interim management team to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. Previously, Dr. Osterholm served from 1975 to 1999 at the Minnesota Department of Health, the last 15 as state epidemiologist.

He has written more than 420 papers and abstracts, including 21 book chapters and is a frequently invited guest lecturer on the topic of epidemiology of infectious diseases. He serves on the editorial boards of nine journals.

Dr. Osterholm has received numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from Luther College; the Pump Handle Award, CSTE; the Charles C. Shepard Science Award, CDC; the Harvey W. Wiley Medal, FDA; the Squibb Award, IDSA; Distinguished University Teaching Professor, UMN; and the Wade Hampton Frost Leadership Award, APHA. He also has been the recipient of six major research awards from the NIH and the CDC. Recently, he was named to TIME’s 2026 TIME100 health list of the world’s 100 most influential leaders in health.

Speaker Videos

Renowned disease expert Michael Osterholm gives warning to prepare for future pandemics

on COVID-19| Joe Rogan Experience

Virtual Keynote: How COVID-19 Has Changed the World & What the Future Holds

How Contagious is the Coronavirus? | CBS This Morning

Preparing for the Next Epidemic | Healthy Futures Summit

Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs

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Speech Topics

Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs

Dr. Osterholm predicted a pandemic like COVID-19 in his bestselling book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, where he advocated for a plan to combat "an overwhelming army of deadly, invisible enemies" and laid out a nine-point plan to prevent "the unthinkable from the inevitable." As one of the world’s most accomplished epidemiologists, he explains the seriousness and severity of COVID-19 and its progression.

COVID-19: Fact from Fiction

How COVID-19 Will Change the World

Testimonials

"After two years of virtual events, it was a pleasure to be back in person and I am thrilled you were able to join us. Your participation as the keynote speaker was an important part of the day. We greatly appreciated your thoughts and insights relative to health care policy, it’s impact on Massachusetts, and what to expect moving forward."

- Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP)

"I found Dr. Osterholm's talk to be extremely interesting and provided a unique perspective on the ongoing pandemic. Dr. Osterholm is extremely intelligent and was able to explain certain topics in a clear and understanding way. Dr. Osterholm was one of the most impactful speakers I have ever been in the presence of. Not only was he extremely eloquent, but the detail to which he shared the impact of COVID-19 was real and without any sugarcoating. As a whole, I really enjoyed the presentation and I think his transparency is what made it so effective."

- Bryant University

"Just wanted to follow up and say thank you! Dr. Osterholm was a fantastic speaker, and the VIP closed session was a huge hit. Our board members and sponsors were extremely happy with that portion and Dr. Osterholm tackled just about any question that came his way. Working with APB and Dr. Osterholm’s team was easy, smooth and went over very well. We’ve had some mixed results working with speakers bureaus in the past so I felt like I had to say something about the great line of communication."

- BioForward, Inc.